Editor's Note

One need not be a chamber
to be haunted;
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place.

-Emily
Dickinson

As a child, my trips to
the library in my elementary and middle school were often the highlight of the
day, tedious days fills with mathematics (ugh) and homework assignments
(double-ugh). And being in the library in October spawned the most memorable
afternoons of all; the light tapping of rain on the windows as yellow and red
leaves skittered by, with the clock ticking closer to 3:30 pm. Soft voices of
children and the padding of shoes through the book-filled aisles are the
soundtrack of these memories, and I always went to the same corner of the back
room: the occult section. Tales of ghosts and werewolves, haunted castles and
historical accounts of vampires, and best of all: finding The Halloween Tree by
Ray Bradbury stuck behind a row of hardback collections of gothic horror.

Reading through that book
and following Pipkin, Mr. Moundshroud, Tom Skelton, and the others through the
catacombs of time and history took my breath away on those October bus rides
home, and in the evening dim, curled up in bed, Bradbury reminded me of two
things: that the haunting of the mind is far more frightening, exciting, and
fun than days filled with math and book reports, and that October is the time
when the border between the imagined and the real is veil thin, close enough to
reach out and touch.

October has always been my
favorite month, and Halloween my favorite holiday—a celebration of the power of
human imagination, fear, and thrill-seeking delight. This issue is dedicated to
that feeling, and to the memory of Ray Bradbury, who was the living embodiment
of that childlike sense of Halloween wonder.

I’d like to thank all
those who sent in their memories of this month and holiday. We have quite the
Hobo Halloween Tree here in this issue. A big thank you goes to Bob Orsillo for
lending us his painting “The Best Part of the Trip” (you can find more of his
work HERE) and Kristin Fouquet for her photo-essay (seen throughout) titled
“Laughing at Death.”

And finally, I would like
to introduce our new associate editor, Mr. David M Morton. I’ve had the
pleasure of publishing David’s words and a painting in previous issues, and it
is a real comfort to have someone on the other side of The Great Campfire whose
opinion, artistic taste, and worldly disposition I trust and respect. He’s been
a huge help with this issue, and I am excited to have him aboard.

I know this issue will be
up long after October ends, since our next won’t be until March 2013,but I have always believed that the mystery
and wonder that Halloween represents goes far beyond one day. I’ll bet you do
too.

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The views and opinions expressed throughout belong to the individual artists and may or may not coincide with those of the other artists (or editors) represented within the magazine. Hobo Camp Review supports a free-for-all atmosphere of artistic expression, so enjoy the poetry, fiction, opinions, and artwork within, read with an open mind, and comment wisely. Thanks for stopping by the Camp!

Hobo Camp Review

What is Hobo Camp Review?

A gathering place for the road-weary storyteller. Can you hear the highway? Can you smell the river? Sit a spell by the fire and tell us where you've been. We're intersted in travel stories, Beat-ish poetry, something with a dark twist, and something that'll make us laugh. Pretty much anything that sounds great read aloud beneath a railroad bridge at night. See our guidelines and submit your work! Welcome to the Hobo Camp, fellow transient!